


the lion doctor

by Inastiel



Series: The Lion Doctor [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-03
Updated: 2014-03-03
Packaged: 2018-01-14 10:32:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1263007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inastiel/pseuds/Inastiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is only one man Death is even remotely scared of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the lion doctor

The first time Death truly comes face to face with Leonard H. McCoy, he came to collect the human’s father. He’s unsure as to why he’s been called to David McCoy’s bedside so early – he knows the human still has a few agonizing weeks left before his time – until he sees the hypospray in the younger McCoy’s shaking hands.

He wonders briefly if this is murder, but then dismisses the idea when he hears David plead with his son to end his suffering. Death sits quietly to the side, watching curiously as Doctor McCoy struggles with the decision. It’s a no-win situation – let his father die an excruciatingly slow death, or give him this gift and set him free now, and live with the consequences for the rest of his years?

Death silently urges him towards the latter. He is doing more harm letting his father die slowly.

Dr. McCoy depresses the hypospray and Death leans forward, taking David’s soul into his arms. As he turns to carry the soul home he looks back at the slumped figure of Dr. McCoy. He wonders if taking patients from him will be this easy in the future. He hopes so, as his greatest rivals are doctors. They bite and kick for their patients, making a mess of his job, setting up battles where they could just as easily surrender their patient’s souls to him.

Most of them don’t give up without a fight, despite the fact most of them lose anyway. Death is sure Dr. McCoy will not present too much of a problem in the future.

He has never been so wrong.

 

The next time he sees McCoy he has come to collect the soul of a little girl that has been beaten by her father. He’s sure the doctor will surrender Kaylee Hart’s soul without too much of a fight, so he waits patiently for the girl’s time to run out and then scoops up her soul.

McCoy tugs and he tugs back.

This isn’t new, Death knows, most doctors fight for their patients. He simply sighs and continues to pull. Humans are only so strong, most give up in the end.

McCoy keeps holding on.

It devolves into a battle – Death scratching at the doctor’s will, urging him to give him the girl. McCoy simply snarls and bites back as he works to save little Kaylee. The other doctors have given up already, but McCoy fights on, as strong as a lion and twice as stubborn.

Death keeps pulling and McCoy keeps tugging until there’s a snap and suddenly, incredibly, Kaylee’s soul is back in her body and her heart is beating again. The world shifts slightly and Death realizes that he is now an incredible eighty years early to collect Kaylee Hart’s soul. McCoy roars in triumph and shoots him a feral grin; despite the fact Death knows he can’t possibly see him.

Death stands for a long moment, stunned that he’s been beaten, and then turns and leaves without the soul he came for, resolving to win the next time he comes across the lion doctor.

 

Death keeps losing.

Dr. McCoy is the most determined human he has ever encountered. He keeps battling for his patients hours after the others have given up, keeps slashing and clawing at Death every time he tries to take a soul. There are days when Death is too fast and too strong for the doctor, but they are rare. The battles with Dr. McCoy are vicious and common, and neither warrior leaves without scars. As times rolls on the wounds are found more often on Death himself than the human doctor.

Death finds himself growing wary of him.

 

There’s a day where Death is certain he has a good grip on the great James T. Kirk and then Dr. McCoy, in a feat that should be impossible, manages to haul the soul back from his grip. The backlash is so powerful that it leaves Death stunned. Several souls get a few minutes longer of life than they should of have as he recovers. Before he retreats he tries again to capture the soul of Captain Kirk, but Dr. McCoy prowls around the man with bared fangs and unsheathed claws and for the first time Death is scared of the lion doctor.

 

Death feels the call as he is collecting the souls of the fallen crewmembers of the Enterprise. It’s coming from the warp core of the crippled ship. He arrives swiftly, knowing that Dr. McCoy is still very much alive on the Enterprise. He would rather not get into a confrontation with the doctor when he is so busy trying to collect all the other souls the man could not save.

Jim Kirk is dying in the warp core and this time there is no doctor to protect him from Death’s grasp. Death doesn’t feel any maliciousness towards the Captain for escaping him before, only respect for his actions –he knows that the Enterprise is now stable because of his sacrifice. He settles behind the Vulcan, whose soul is keening in deep-seated pain.

Death examines it in interest for a long moment as he waits, and then turns his attention back to the Captain. There is a long time before he will be collecting the Vulcan.

Jim Kirk breathes his last and Death gathers his soul up, murmuring soothing words. He’s sure that once he has taken the soul back onto his own territory it will be out of Dr. McCoy’s reach, so he leaves before his rival in the upper decks realizes he’s already lost his Captain.

Death wonders if he’ll hear the lion doctor’s roar of pain when he understands he is too late.

 

He does. Right outside his territory.

 

There’s a lion outside Death’s door and he’s never been so afraid.

The lion can’t kill him, Death knows, but there’s something about the lion’s strength of will and emotion that shakes him anyway. There are claws tearing down his gates and then Doctor Leonard H. McCoy stalks in. Lion’s eyes are searching through the souls; lion’s paws are padding deceptively soft against the dusty ground.

The doctor’s gaze settles on something behind him and then he’s striding towards him with quick, deliberate steps.

McCoy growls and Death steps back, trembling. There’s a mumble from behind him and then Dr. McCoy – Bones - moves forward and grasps his Captain’s soul with hands that do not shake. Death makes an instinctive move to stop him, and then the lion turns on him with all the fury of a hurricane.

“Fuck off, Jim Kirk is mine.”

Death is so terrified of the snarling lion of a doctor that he doesn’t try to interfere as Bones drags his Captain back to the land of the living.

 

 

 

“We star-gazing, Jim? Sounds a bit clichéd.”

Jim laughs. “Do you know which constellation is my favourite, Bones?”

“No fucking clue.”

“Leo.”

“Of course it is.”

“Do you know why? There’s a lion etched there, a lion that burns as bright and hot and fierce as any of those stars. That very lion knocked down Death’s door and stole his favourite soul from him.”

“I hardly think it was Death’s favourite soul, Jim.”

“No, it was the lion’s.” There’s a pause as Jim gathers the words. “Thank you Bones, for not leaving me there.”

Bones hums quietly and wraps his arms tighter around him.

“Only for you, Jim.”


End file.
